Displaying posts from May, 2008

Zee left a comment on Friday’s rug request post that had me in stitches: “Hi Kim. I’m looking for some photographs of chairs on ceilings. Green ones. If you could post some examples, that would be great. Thanks.” Jo and I can always seem to find photos for reader’s request, even those made in fun, so thanks to Jo who found the following photo especially for Zee.

Photo via garagesailor

I had a wonderful score on eBay this week. I’ve been after some 70s chrome chairs for my living room. Of course I don’t want to spend much but still want the “look”. These are by Finnish designer Eero Aarnio for Framac, an Australian furniture company specialising in office furniture. Soooooooooooooo heavy but so comfy and by the time I’m finished they will be so retrolicious. First things first though. I have to clean the chrome before they head off to be recovered. I had heard that vinegar and aluminium foil are great for removing tarnish from chrome so as it was a rainy afternoon I thought why not! Surprise surprise it works! A little elbow grease and a soft cloth to finish. There is some deep scratching at the ends of the arms but I think the chrome looks fabulous. Cheap and a lot more “friendly” than harsh commercial cleaners. Just wish I’d worn gloves. My fingers have black gunk all over them! You can have a closer look at how I did it here.

Janine wrote us with a particular request: “With all the creativity in modern design–angles, curves, patterns, and textures–why do the shapes of area rugs always seem to be rectangular? I’m looking for an interestingly shaped rug, something asymmetrical perhaps. I have, of course, seen nicely shaped animal hide rugs and would love to find photographs using that idea but, please, not striped or spotted. Seen anything like that?” After searching through MANY photographs to find non-rectangular rugs, I came up with only round and animal hide. But considering all the different colours of animal rugs you can get these days, I think that’s a great option. I bought one for my living room because it’s such a small and narrow space – rectangular would have made it seem even more narrow. And, well, rectangular is boring. I’m not sure why stripes and spots (my favs) are not an option for Janine, but here are some ideas…

Bolig Magasinet	Ken Hayden
House Beautiful	Alternative Design
Domino	Santos-Diez
Pieter Estersohn	Frances Janisch
Apartment Therapy	Diamond Baratta Design
House of Pictures	Inreda
Ken Hayden	Skonahem
Studio Ilse	Oak Management

Rickita wrote us recently looking for ideas: “I currently live in an approximately 450 sq studio apartment. I’ve been trying to find inspiring decorating ideas for small spaces. Do you have any pictures of studio apartments: specifically wall decoration and storage ideas? I would appreciate the help!” 450 sq ft is pretty small but I am a firm believer that living in a small space doesn’t mean it has to be filled with small stuff. My favourite small spaces include walls painted in bold colours or covered in fun wallpaper, some large furnishings, and oversized artwork (or large groupings of artwork). Hopefully the following photos inspire anyone living in a small space.

Clive Tompsett	Domino
Robert Stilin	Domino
Joe Serrins	Domino
James Merrell	Gaelle Le Boulicaut
Markham Roberts	Domino
Domino	Domino
Minh Wass	mlk studio
Johnny Bouchier	Marie Claire Maison

Because I was stuck at work well into the evening yesterday, I didn’t have time to get a post ready for this afternoon. And since I just got back from the upholsterer, I figured maybe I could get away with just posting my chairs with their new cushions I picked up. It was a bit costly, but OMG soooo worth it. She did an amazing job. Now if I can just keep the damn cats off them…